The Lost Episodes
by Orwell is watching-xoxo
Summary: In the aftermath of "Endgame", there is a lot going on. Orwell's sanity is questioned, as is her relationship with Vince. Peter Fleming is trying to keep the world from seeing who is really is, and Scales gets a little more limelight. Eventual Vinwell.
1. Episode Eleven: The Target

**Hey Capers! Ever thought about what we would have gotten in those final three episodes of the first season? Well, here it is! Vinwell, of course, will be involved. So far, it'll just be episodes eleven through thirteen, but if it gets enough hype (and I mean more reviews than my usual three fans) then I might consider doing more. **

**So here's episode eleven. It takes place after Endgame, and after my one-shot "A Little Piece of Home". **

**I own nothing. Anyone who thought I did needs to be locked up in the loony bin. **

_**The Lost Episodes: Chapter One: Episode Eleven- The Target**_

_History Repeats Itself_

Vince Faraday sat in his hideout, obviously sulking. The man had every sleepless night projected across his face. His usual bright blue eyes were dark and guarded, despite it being a few days past Christmas. He should have been at home, watching his son play with his new goodies from the holidays, all while sporting a few extra pounds from the spread of food that his in-laws and his own parents concocted.

All of that was ruined; he was able to forget about his worries, even for a little while, whenever his partner was around, however. With her there, he could see that he wasn't the only one who had to deal with the unforeseeable events as they unfolded in front of them. Peter Fleming didn't just ruin _his _life, didn't just ruin Marty's, but he also ruined the blogger's. She never came out and told him exactly what he did to her, but it was plain obvious, what with her vendetta against the billionaire. During the holidays this year, Vince got to spend it with Orwell and was able to forget about all that had happened, even if it was just for a little while. His partner meant something special to him, whether he knew exactly how to process that thought just yet.

The vigilante jumped at the sudden noise startling him from his thoughts. He put his feet down from where they had been propped up at, and stared in front of him through the dim light his hideout projected. A smile made a way to his haggard face as his partner came into sight. God she was such a sneak most days.

"Care to tell me why you're sulking?" Orwell asked, sparing him a teasing smile.

Vince just rubbed his face, frowning at the stubble prickling his fingers. "Am not sulking. I'm just—sitting here—yeah, that's it," he looked back up at her and patted at the space next to him.

The brunette just rolled her eyes and sat down next to partner. "Well, I've got some news for you."

He sighed a bit and turned towards her. "Shop talk?"

Orwell nodded. "Afraid so." Their eyes locked for several moments before she began again, "Fleming is requesting a more _thorough_ background check for all of his employees, even those that have been working for him for years."

Vince thought about that for a moment, his forehead crinkling. "Somehow, I think that you're going to tell me that there's more to that."

The blogger sent him a '_what do you think' _type of look. "Susan Voyt is looking for an attorney outside of Palm City, Vince. I'm not exactly sure where she's looking, or how safe she's being from letting Fleming know. All I know is what Dana is telling me."

The vigilante took his hand away from his face and looked over at his partner. "You're talking to Dana?"

"Yeah. She's trying to get out of Palm City, too. Peter Fleming is sending his men after her and your son. They haven't hurt them just yet, but they've done a good job with keeping an eye on them," Orwell began, watching as her partner clenched a fist and let it relax a moment later.

"Orwell, what the hell can we do? Fleming's not going to stop until everyone that suspects him is dead. Hell, if his employees weren't so scared of theirs and their own families' lives, you'd think that they would all try to be getting out of Palm City," Vince let out a sigh, lowering his head into his hands.

"I'll keep looking, okay?" the brunette told him, rubbing his back oh-so-gently. "Eventually, Fleming will crack."

"No he won't," the vigilante muttered, "there's nothing that will make him turn around."

"Maybe there's someone," Orwell sighed, knowing that she had no other choice. She hated having to bring her family into this, but they were probably the _only_ way to fight back and win.

Vince sat back up as his partner took her hand back and walked away from him. "Where are you going, Orwell?"

"To work," she looked back at him over her shoulder, "I'll be back," she added with a tiny smile.

The vigilante slumped down in his seat as the door shut. Maybe it was time for him to do some work himself. He grabbed a duffel bag and his cape, and vowed to not let his head get clouded up, no matter how difficult it got.

o—o—o

_Release_

Dominic "Scales" Raoul had never thought that he would see the California sun shine down on him so brightly. He was a free man now. (Leave it to the idiotic ARK officers to neglect to read him his Miranda rights. Not that he was complaining, though, 'cmon.) While he was rotting away in his jail cell for that short period of time, he was able to think about all the reasons why Peter Fleming deserved to have his throat rung out. By the time the deformed smuggler was released a few days after Christmas, he was more than willing to go through with his not-so-friendly scheme.

Fleming couldn't fool him into making another mistake like that. Honestly, Scales blamed it on a bad day, and just wanted the other man to leave him alone so he did exactly what he asked. Well now, the smuggler thought with a wry smile, a certain hand gesture should clear that right up.

Peter Fleming had another thing coming, if the billionaire thought that he wouldn't fight back. He had a few plans up his sleeve, and there would be nothing stopping him from getting a little revenge.

Scales began to head out, a thousand schemes playing in his brain. Who was to say he couldn't have a little fun getting back at dear ol' Pete?

Meanwhile, back in Palm City, others were coming up with a plan just the same. Orwell didn't like her plan very much but, frankly, it was the only one-hundred percent way to get this to go over well. She knew that her mother was a lawyer just outside of the city, one that hadn't lost a case since she first started almost eleven years ago.

Jamie had told Dana that she knew a woman that could help win this case once and for all. What she had neglected to tell her, however, was that that woman was her mother. If she had told Dana, then would eventually have to tell Vince. And, the blogger thought with a rough sigh, she just wasn't quite ready for that. Her partner would probably hate her guts after he found that out. Might as well savor the moment, right?

"Elaine Fleming?" the public defender began aloud, startling Orwell out of her thoughts. Hearing her mother's name was weird. She hadn't seen her mother since she was about sixteen, when she ran away from not only her father, but her mother too. The blogger didn't even have a real answer as to why she ran away from home. But that was before she found out what her father had been up to since she and her mother left.

"Yes," Orwell replied, trying to keep her voice from shaking any. It certainly wasn't going to be easy to keep Dana from finding out about her familial ties. She was a lawyer herself, for God's sake! "If she can't help us, then I'm not really sure that anyone can."

Dana nodded, though she was still trying to process that thought. Her late husband may never be considered an innocent man again. And now, thanks to Fleming, Marty wouldn't either. The strawberry blonde's eyes widened as she watched the blogger get up to leave. "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry. I've given ARK something to be distracted with for a little while," the brunette cracked a little smirk, "you're safe for now, trust me."

The public defender was more than sure that something was going on between Orwell and the Cape. Well, at least someone was happy. (Dana would be happy when Travis finally stopped asking her out on dates. It was beginning to annoy the crap out of her.) "Thank you for your help. I don't know why either you or your _friend _is doing this for us, but I appreciate it."

"He and your husband were close. I can see why he would want to help out you and your son," Orwell told the older woman, ringing her hands nervously. She still had a smile on her face, but it was nowhere near genuine.

"If you ever need my help, I'm here. You've done so much for Trip and me already," Dana spoke up, receiving another smile before the brunette left from the public defender's apartment.

That much was complicated, however. Dana had exactly what Orwell wanted, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Vince wanted to go back home, after all.

o—o—o

_Family Values_

Elaine Fleming had nothing nice to say about her ex-husband, not anymore. She had been following the _Orwell is watching _blog thoroughly since it first started up. Elaine didn't know Peter anymore; ever since ARK started up so many years ago, his wife knew that something wasn't quite right. He was power hungry, all things considered. And, while he loved his daughter and wife, his business started to mean a little more as time went on.

When she and Jamie left a little over eleven years ago, it wasn't because of Chess. It was because of that damn business. He was almost never home, and when he was he couldn't stay off the phone for more than ten minutes.

The billionaire and his wife had fought long and hard to keep their relationship together. Little Jamie wanted her parents to stop fighting all of the time, it had made her sad whenever she came out of her bedroom after hearing them fuss over every little thing.

Elaine tried talking some sense into her ex-husband after she learned about what happened with the Faraday family. Needless to say it didn't end well. Chess was let out when Peter's wife and daughter left, point blank. Sure, the criminal mastermind had been there the whole time, but the billionaire only let his other half take control of the driver's seat when he was completely distraught. That much was a painful pill to swallow, but Elaine tried to convince him otherwise even after she found out that little tidbit.

Their daughter was mentioned not too long after that. Neither parent knew where their daughter was. She could have been in Australia for all they knew. When she ran away from home at sixteen, it was almost like she dropped off the face of the Earth. No trace of her whatsoever.

The lawyer let out a sigh as she looked down at her newest set of paperwork. After the holidays, it seemed that her paperwork stack only got higher. Her large brown eyes grew wider as she read the case file over again. Susan Voyt was trying to avenge her husband's death. And who else was by her side? None other than Dana Faraday.

Elaine rubbed the bridge of her nose wearily. That meant that she was going to be in the same courtroom with her ex-husband, speaking _against_ him for crying out loud. She still loved Peter, despite what had happened over the years, she always would. This was going to take far more than it was worth, she could already tell.

**And that's where I'll end episode eleven. So, what did ya'll think? Lemme know in a review!**


	2. Episode Twelve: Part Of Me

**Hey guys! I'm trying to get these updates cranked out, so we'll see when I can get this chapter done. **

**Many thanks go out to: IronAmerica, XxDeathStarxX, Alex, and Troll99 for their reviews last chapter! **

**I promise that this'll be much lighter than my most recent chapter of TMSoV, but there will be that wonderful angst that we all love so much. **

**I own nada. **

_**The Lost Episodes- Chapter Two: Episode Twelve: Part Of Me**_

_Sunshine On A Cloudy Day_

"_I had a rather strange childhood, Vince. My mother died when I was ten, and my father just sorta __changed__ after that. Before then, we were happy, if that answers your question."___

Orwell groaned into her coffee mug as her words from about a week back replayed in her mind over and over again. Why did she have to lie about her mother? Now there was a very good chance that Vince would catch her in that lie _and_ find out that she was a Fleming. Maybe this would be a good time to learn how to gag herself, surely it would be a better fate than what her partner would have in mind for her when the truth came out…

Dana, Susan, and the blogger's mother had met on numerous occasions to talk about the case by now. Little by little, they were gathering all of the evidence that they could to use against the billionaire. That included getting everyone on their side that they could. Elaine was well known throughout Palm City, and in her new town. Her publicity was, oddly, just like her ex-husband's. Everyone believed anything that came out of her mouth, even if it was utter crap. That was exactly what gave her the upper hand in most of her cases. This was going to be a battle to see who ended up on top she just knew it.

Jamie knew that her mother was going to try to find her and ask for her help. Whether she was going to answer her or not was still up for debate…

"Orwell," her partner called out to her, startling her out of her thoughts. The brunette looked back at him from where he sat admiring his helicopter model. Vince had it safely propped up on a shelf; he even took it down at _cleaned_ it every now and then. Orwell never thought a man would clean anything, except something that they found desirable, of course.

"Yes, Vince?" the blogger asked, a smile gracing her features. It was nice to have a distraction from her berating thoughts, even if it was only for a little while.

The vigilante grinned just a bit, blue eyes shining. "You're looking a little distracted over there."

Orwell shrugged, her eyebrow arching perfectly. "Am I really?"

Vince chuckled and got up to pad over to his partner, hands stuffed in his pocket. "Don't even try that, Orwell; we both know how bad of a liar you are."

The blogger just rolled her eyes and turned to the framed police officer. "Seriously, what did you want?"

"I've got an idea I wanted to run by you," the vigilante began, blue eyes meeting with brown.

"Okay," Orwell began, a smirk playing at her lips as she took in her partner, "this should be good," she murmured.

"Well, Tracey Jerrod knows that Fleming is Chess, we've been there, done that, right?" Vince sighed when the brunette gave him an impatient glare; one day he would figure out why she didn't like talking about the Dice incident. "Well, what if we used her word against Fleming's in the trial?"

The blogger paused just for a moment to consider this. It was crazy enough to work, considering what Peter did to Tracey's father. But the question that still remained was: Would it work? Tracey Jerrod was in prison for trying to assassinate the richest man in Palm City, one who the general population just happened to be in love with.

"Who would be the one to record Tracey's testimony? Not like they would trust a guy running around in tights and a cape…" Orwell finally spoke up, her voice close to a deadpan.

"That's where the tricky part comes in…" Vince trailed off, looking back towards his model helicopter. His partner scoffed, prompting him to look back at her.

"You're going to suggest something difficult, aren't you?" the brunette asked, their eyes wavering back at each other. She sighed heavily and shifted in her seat. "Fine, but if this hair-brain idea gets you poisoned again, don't come crying to me."

The vigilante just chuckled and got back on his feet again. "You're the best, Orwell I knew I could count on you."

"Yeah, sure," Orwell smiled back at Vince as he went to grab his cape. "Just try to stay safe, alright?"

He offered her another smile before he went off to change. The blogger had a bad feeling about this. Her partner wasn't one for genius ideas, after all.

Any time Vince and Scales were in the same room, it didn't tend to end well. The vigilante always seemed to wind up beaten to a bloody pulp, whining to Orwell about how one day he was going to pay him back for all of this. And now that he had to go to him for help, Vince was about ready to just turn around and head back to the hideout. Maybe there was better idea. (Or maybe he was just a chicken. The vigilante liked to think the former, thanks very much.)

He could have just asked Secretary Portman to help sneak him in, but honestly, Scales probably would do a better job at persuading the public to go against Fleming. Vince wasn't sure who'd hurt him worse once this was over with: Orwell or Scales. Maybe he should start that will early, just in case.

The Cape perched himself on a pile of crates just as he did when he went to tell the smuggler about the gala on the Monte-Carlo. Scales' domain was the docks. Even though Fleming set him up and sent him to prison, there was _no_ way that he could take his docks away from him.

Scales had been trying to have a meeting with his crew when they were interrupted with Vince's nonsensical drama. The smuggler was about a hair close to throwing the little gnome out the warehouse window, from the upper floor no less.

"I need your help," the vigilante rasped from the crates, keeping himself crouched low.

"_My_ help? Son ye must have lost yer marbles. Last time I said yes to helping out or sommat, I got banged up for it," Scales told him as he padded away from the table with his boys and towards the framed cop.

"If you help me get into Owl Island Prison, then I'll help you personally get back at Peter Fleming once and for all," Vince continued, intriguing the smuggler.

A smirk tugged at Scales' lips. "Go on," he encouraged thickly.

"A friend of mine has close tabs on the court case between Susan Voyt and Fleming. You help me, and I can guarantee that you'll have your chance to testify against him," the vigilante began, watching the deformed man closely. "So, what do you say? Are you in or out?"

The smuggler's smirk turned into a broad grin as a chuckle started deep in his chest. "I think I'm starting to like ye, me boy. 'M in."

o—o—o

_Owl Island Prison_

Tracey Jerrod a.k.a "Dice" could predict the future. Whether it was moments before, or even years before, she was sure to know it. The savant was, at the moment, bored to tears with her life in prison. It was the same thing every day; she didn't even have to predict anything because nothing ever changed!

Dice had given up on trying to predict much of anything for a while now. Of course, this also proved to be an issue when one of the guards told her that she had a visitor, and she didn't even know who it was. (He had interrupted her from a very engrossing game of bouncing a ball against her cell…)

When the blonde was taken out of the cell to meet up with her visitor, she tried to see who it was ahead of time. However, it just gave her a pounding headache when an even more powerful force blocked her. Vince had to thank Ruvi for that one.

She recognized the Cape from a mile away, without using any of her powers. If she had been paying more attention, she would have realized that the guard was a heavily disguised Dominic Raoul. It would make sense; how else would a masked vigilante sneak past prison security…?

Dice was still cuffed from behind, but she tried to maneuver the best that she could as she sauntered over to Vince. "Hello, blindspot, what can I do for you?"

Vince began in his usual rasp, a smirk playing at his lips. "You wanna get back at Fleming don't you?"

Jerrod looked over her shoulder at the guard and then back at the vigilante. "Well of course I do, you moron. Why do you think I'm in prison in the first place?"

The Cape sighed; why were women so quick to call him an idiot? "If you got something you wanna say against him, I'll gladly make sure that it gets to the right person." He turned on his tape recorder, just before the savant began retelling the events of her childhood.

"What, like how I saw my father being murdered by his boss in a dream, and then have to watch it for _real_ right in front of me in our own home? That man with the damn wildcat eyes killed my father; that _man _is Peter Fleming, I don't care if he's got a split personality or not. If he doesn't get what he deserves, then obviously the public is caught under his charm even more than I thought they were," Dice spat vehemently. "He took my one and only family member away from me. I will rot in this cell for his attempted murder because I sure as hell am not going to pretend that I didn't try!"

Vince looked back at the smuggler, who was scratching his chin as he processed the savant's words. It sounded pretty convincing to him. Of course, considering that he knew what Fleming was, he could have been biased in his judgment. The vigilante was just anxious to get this back to his partner. If it got them one step closer to clearing the Faraday name, Vince would do whatever he could. He wanted Trip to know that he should never give up without a fair fight, and he wanted Dana to know that he _did _love her, despite the fact that his partner was… well, this explanation wasn't easy to process. She was a dear friend, he knew that, but sometimes she just got inside his head… Ah hell, who was he kidding? He loved her, too. One thing was sure, though, Vince knew that he couldn't have both women. Orwell was far too possessive and Dana would probably be ready to beat him to death with her heaviest pot for the mere suggestion.

The idea of a love triangle was just far too much to put on his brain, along with everything else going on. The framed cop pushed those thoughts to the side and focused on Tracey as she continued with her testimony.

o—o—o

_Confessions_

Jamie Fleming's world had come tumbling down when Dana found out that she was the daughter of Peter and Elaine Fleming. The topic had come up casually, a mother-to-mother talk. And now the blogger had to deal with an irate public defender, who just wouldn't shut _up_! Okay, so this was something big that she had been hiding; still, could you blame her for not wanting to tell anyone? Her father was a psychopath and her mother was an infamous lawyer that used her former husband's last name as an excuse to get by on all of her cases. Hell, that was why Orwell refused to tell her partner the truth about her mother still being alive.

Speaking of Vince, he should be coming back to the hideout at any time. And, when he did, the jig would be up. Dana was still there, annoyed as ever. There was no getting out of this, not a single chance.

The framed cop shut the door as quietly as he could after he stepped into his home away from home. He could hear Orwell and Dana talking and, if he was really quiet, maybe he could eavesdrop and find out what the hell is going on. For good measures, Vince adjusted his mask and hood. The last thing he needed was for his wife to figure out his identity this close to the end.

"I just don't understand why you kept that a secret. You do realize that you are an important key to getting Fleming pinned for his crimes, correct?" the redheaded public defender began, her blue eyes boring a hole into the brunette's head.

Vince froze at that moment, not daring to take another step. Women tended to have amazing hearing. They would hear him coming and immediately stop talking.

"I just try to stay out of family business as much as I can. I believe that my father belongs behind bars, but I want to make that happen as Orwell, not as his daughter," Orwell looked down at her hands, which had begun to tremble, "Jamie loves daddy too much," she whispered under her breath.

"WHAT?!" Vince exploded from where he stood, blowing his cover embarrassingly so. Both women snapped their heads up to gawk at the vigilante but he could care less about the whole thing.

The blogger's brown eyes grew wide as she saw her partner, showing how truly afraid she was of him finding out. "Something the matter?" she asked, trying to pass her fear off over her shoulder.

"Orwell, you're Peter Fleming's daughter?" the vigilante asked, moving over to stand with both of them. "Why the hell didn't you say anything?"

Orwell looked between her partner and his wife, the trembling in her hands only getting worse. "This is why I didn't want to say anything! If you knew that the man we're trying to throw in prison was really my father, you wouldn't want my help at all."

Dana was quiet as a mouse at that point. The looks that the two of them were giving each other told her all that she ever wondered about Jamie and the Cape. They obviously were a couple; would he really be looking at her that way if they weren't? The public defender got up and grabbed her bag, sensing that she needed to get out of there.

"Dana," Vince began, his voice thick as he looked back at his wife. "You don't have to leave, we'll be alright," he then looked back at his partner, who had tears in her big brown eyes. God, this was beginning to feel uncomfortable. He didn't want his wife to leave, but he most certainly didn't want to hurt his partner, even if she _had_ been keeping this secret from him. He was hurt, confused, and angry.

"No, I need to pick Trip up from my parents' house, anyways. The last time I left him with them, he came home a spoiled rotten brat," the strawberry blonde chuckled weakly, looking back at the other two once more. "And Cape?" she added, turning directly to the vigilante, "try not to give Jamie too hard a time. I was a little too rough with her when I stopped by. She doesn't need that from her boyfriend, too."

The former cop could have said that he wasn't her boyfriend, but again, something kept him from saying so, just like something kept him from turning his partner away after she lied to him for over a year. Instead, Vince just nodded and told her to keep herself and Trip safe.

As the door shut, Vince and Orwell were left alone. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife, given the chance. Anger, betrayal, confusion, lust, and love were all floating around the blogger and her partner. What were they going to do with each other? It seemed that they couldn't live with each other, but they certainly couldn't live without each other.

"Vince—I'm sorry. I had planned on telling you," Orwell began, her voice tiny.

"When? _When_ were you planning on telling me? After my name was clear, you would tell me and then expect me to leave you for good? Thinking I would be so mad that I would never want to see you again?" Vince asked, his voice incredibly thick.

"No! I just figured that it would be easier that way. I'd tell you after your name was clear. That way, if you did choose to never see me again, then it would be easier than having to work together afterwards," the brunette gained volume once more, her brown eyes blazing up at her partner.

The vigilante chuckled weakly, a sad smile crawling onto his lips. "You think that I'd never want to see you again? Orwell, do we even know each other?"

"Maybe we don't," Orwell began, watching Vince carefully. "Maybe we shouldn't see each other after you clear your name."

Vince stepped even closer to Orwell, fighting the urge to snake an arm around her waist. "Is that what you really want? Do you want to go separate ways?"

The blogger's eyes began to spill tears down her face, much to the vigilante's surprise. "No. I don't want that. I—I want us to be alright." She purposely left out the fact that she wanted_ him_.

Her partner cupped her face in his rough hand, smiling down at her. He_ should_ have been mad at her. But, no, he wanted to hold her more than anything else. She needed to know that everything was going to be okay with them.

"Vince?" Orwell rasped quietly, taking his hand and linking her fingers with his. "What are we doing?"

"The right thing," Vince told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

**Hazzah, the chapter's done! Ya'll know what to do! **


	3. Episode Thirteen: What About Now?

**So, unfortunately, this is the last chapter of "The Lost Episodes". Maybe if I get further inspiration, I just might start a season two.**

**I'd like to thank IronAmerica, Alex, XxDeathStarxX, and Troll99 for their reviews last chapter! I own nothing. **

_**The Lost Episode: Chapter Three- Episode Thirteen: What About Now?**_

_Paving The Way_

Vince woke up with a start, sitting straight up in his bed. The room was jet black and the humidity in the air stuck to his skin. Or, at least that was what he blamed his clammy chest on until he remembered all that had went down that previous night. His partner's confession, his wife's belief that he and Orwell were together, hell, Vince even thought about the impending trial between both Flemings. His day had gone on for far too long, and seeing his partner break down in front of him hadn't helped him any.

The vigilante didn't _regret_ sleeping with the blogger he knew as his best friend, but it was definitely something that he wasn't too particularly proud of. Vince hated to think that he took advantage of Orwell, and hated it even more to think that she might have thought of it that way. But the problem now wasn't why he did it to begin with, it was more like a 'what now?' type of scenario. Vince was technically still a married man; did he just go on with life like any other day? Or should he and his partner actually sit down and talk about what happened? The Cape knew that he had to tell Dana as soon as possible. 'Cause denying it in the first place will just stir up even more trouble.

He stared down at the petite brunette that slept next to him soundly, a rough sigh escaping his lips. He took the blankets and managed to cover her up as decently as he possibly could. Not that he hadn't seen it all within the last few hours they were together, but Vince figured that it was the least that he could do. He was a good man, no matter sleeping with another woman said about him. The framed cop hated to admit it, but his love for his wife was fading away. That didn't give him an excuse for what he did by any means, though. Maybe there would have been hope for his and his Dana's marriage, had he not fallen in love all over again. It was too late for all of these ifs and buts, however; what was done could never be taken back, and now Vince would have to lay in the bed that he made for himself.

Orwell murmured something in her sleep, startling her partner out of his reverie. He brought her even closer and nuzzled into her hair sleepily. Vince had tried to keep himself together as the brunette broke down sobbing into his arms the night before. It had worked out well, until she let her true feelings slip out, that was. He warned her that he was still a married man, but that he really _did_ care for her, too. Their lips brushed together accidentally after the blogger tried to look up at her partner, who was already watching her carefully, his lips close to her temple. And that's when it started. Orwell started the next kiss moments after.

Vince closed his eyes in hopes to drift back off to sleep. He was fairly certain that it was far too early to be considering all of this. The vigilante buried his face deeper in his partner's hair. It was okay to do this, for now, right? He had finally cleared his thoughts when he felt the brunette in his arms stir awake. Vince opened his eyes back up and let go of the hold he had on her.

Their eyes met as she turned around to face her partner, pinning the blankets tightly over her chest. The vigilante could tell that she was trying to process everything that had happened, just as he did when he woke up.

"Hi, Orwell," Vince began, breaking the uncomfortable silence. His partner flinched in response, but let a smile grace her features a moment later. It was such a relief for her that he didn't hate her.

"Hi," she chewed on her lower lip, her brown eyes wavering back and forth. "I'm—I'm sorry, Vince."

"Sorry for what?" the vigilante whispered, smiling down at her easily.

"Everything. I should have kept my feelings to myself. And I most certainly shouldn't have kissed you," Orwell whined as her partner took her hands into his own. "It's not right, Vince. You're married. The only reason why I'm here is because I'm trying to help you get back to your _wife_ and kid!" She was on the verge of tears, but did her best to keep from seeming weak.

"You seem to have forgotten that sex is a mutual thing, Orwell," he watched her carefully as he laced his fingers with hers. "I agree that I should have waited, but I didn't. We slept together and it was—" Vince chuckled heartily, "it was great. There's no need in us denying it. I _have_ to tell Dana."

"Well you seem to have forgotten that she's liable to pull divorce papers on you for that," Orwell began thickly, yanking her hands out of his. "Are you telling me that you're okay with that?"

"She's already going to threaten to divorce me for lying to her about being alive for all this time," Vince sighed, "look, Orwell, I can't keep this from my wife. There doesn't have to be any 'us' after this if you don't want it to be. I'm just trying to be a good man."

"Then we need to let this go. I'm glad to see that you're going to be honest about all of this, but that also means that you're going to have to try extra hard to win Dana back. And, the way we are right now, I don't think that counts as trying to get your wife back," the brunette told him, now looking down at her hands sadly.

"Hey," the vigilante spoke easily, reaching out for her with a sad smile. "Did you really think that I was okay with sleeping with you, and then just going back to Dana like nothing happened?"

"No, you're better than that. But don't you want to be with your wife again? At least give it a shot before throwing it away completely? You had a kid with her, Vince. A relationship like that isn't one that changes overnight." Orwell tried to explain. She let her partner tilt her chin back up, but it was beginning to be rather distracting when she realized that he wasn't ready to let go yet.

"It didn't change overnight. Up until about a month ago, I was sure that I wanted to be with Dana for the rest of my life. And then I started thinking about you. You helped me without asking for a single thing in return. I had always admired that in you," Vince resisted the urge to kiss her, but he knew that that much would do more harm than good. "You have so much good in your heart than you give yourself credit for. How can I not love you?"

"I'm not going to allow you to throw your marriage away for me. You're not the only man who was married and still had feelings for someone else, I'm sure," the brunette fought back. She just stared at the curly haired vigilante as he laughed at that.

"No, I know I'm not. But I also know that the human mind is a dangerous weapon. And if we're deprived of something or _someone _that we want, we tend to lash out on anything that stands in between that, even if we still care about who we're lashing out on. Am I right?" Vince shook his head and continued as he got no response, just a blank stare. "If I lashed out on Dana because I wasn't man enough to tell her that I'm not in love with her anymore, I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself."

"Maybe you'd fall in love with her again," Orwell finally spoke up. This was killing her; she wanted to be with him so badly. But this scenario had trouble written all over it.

"Maybe," the framed cop shifted closer to his partner. "But how would you feel about that? This isn't just a matter of me and Dana anymore. You matter more than you think, Orwell."

"Vince. I just… I don't know. I want to be with you, you have no idea. But I don't want you to throw everything away just for me," Orwell began to tear up all over again, turning her head away from him so he wouldn't see.

"You're worth it, I promise you that. You captivated me somehow, someway," Vince told her, their eyes locking once more.

"Well, I guarantee you that I didn't cast a love spell on you," Orwell chuckled, tears finally rolling down her cheeks. "Vince, what are we going to do? Do you really want to divorce your wife just to be with me?"

"It seems kinda harsh, doesn't it?" The vigilante asked, more to himself than to his partner. But then he looked over at her; she was steady crying, though she never made a sound. "Orwell, God, I don't wanna make an ass of myself. But there's no sense in leading the both of you on."

"Give yourself some time with Dana, okay? Tell her what's going on, but don't say that you want to leave her. If you both decide that you want to see other people, then I'll agree to be with you," Orwell told him calmly, holding back fresh tears from falling. She sent him a gentle smile, "I'll wait for you, Vince. As long as it takes," she added, giving his shoulder an assuring squeeze.

"I'm just sorry that you have to wait, but if this is clearly how you want to do this…" Vince nodded, leaning forward to press a kiss to her temple. "Don't worry. I'll give you my word." He frowned as his partner slid out of bed, covering up the best that she could as she hurried to find her clothes. This was going to be one awkward fight to keep his feelings in check, Vince could just tell.

o—o—o

_The Final Hook_

Elaine Fleming sat in her living room, going over all of the contents in her latest case file. The trial against her ex-husband was just a short week away, and she had this nagging feeling that something was missing. Something that could help blow this case wide open and nail Peter Fleming as Chess once and for all. That something just happened to be her daughter, Jamie. The only problem just happened to be that the youngest Fleming could have been anywhere in the world. How would she get her here on such a short notice?

The lawyer grabbed her cell phone and dialed the number that she had on speed dial. She waited for two rings before someone picked up the phone.

"_Ms. Fleming, what can I do for you?" _

Elaine's lips pulled into a smile. "I need you to look into someone for me. Are you busy, Pam?"

"_Not at all. Just hang on a sec," _the voice on the other end replied. This was Pamela, Elaine's secretary and best friend. The elder woman could hear typing on the other end. "_Okay, who am I getting dirt up on now?"_

Elaine let out a gentle hum, tapping her pen distractedly against the case file in her lap. "My daughter. I know that we haven't been successful recently when we tried to find her, but Pam, I'm desperate."

"_Calm down, Elle, I'll do what I can, okay?" _

The brunette lawyer just nodded and chuckled warmly. Tears were stinging in her eyes. It was always a touchy subject when they talked about Jamie. "Call me as soon as you find anything, Pam," Elaine added as she ended their call.

Elaine sat back on her leather couch, sighing to herself. It had been a long time since she had seen Jamie, or her husband, for that matter. Before all of this Chess nonsense got out of hand, the three of them were happy. They went out once a week for dinner, they'd take vacations once in a while to fabulous places, and they would spoil their daughter either way. Jamie Fleming got to be a brat when she didn't get her way. Elaine lost count of all of the times that she got after her husband about giving in to her every beck and call.

Where on earth was their daughter? Had she grown up to the wonderful young woman that she surely hoped that she would be? Would she be married, have a family of her own? It had been nearly seven years since they had last spoken, after all. God knew what all she knew about her father. When she ran away from home, Chess had just started to take control of the driver's seat. After all, it was his and Elaine's divorce that set him off in the first place.

The brunette mother was brought back down to earth when there came a knock at the door. Elaine regained her composure and rose to her feet, smoothing her skirt down in the process. The former Mrs. Fleming approached her front door and stretched onto her tiptoes to look through the peephole. Who she saw standing on the other side of the door, was none other than her long lost daughter. It was really, _really_ her, wasn't it? Elaine unlatched the lock on her front door and opened it as steadily as she could with trembling hands.

"Jamie?" the elder Fleming asked, her voice tiny and weak.

"Yeah, mom," the blogger swallowed the bile that was building up. _Seven_ years. "It's me. I know that you're probably going to give me a stern talking to about not calling, writing, _something_, but please hear me out."

Elaine took in her daughter carefully as she came into the house. She was so beautiful. Obviously she hadn't grown up in a hole somewhere. And, if she had been kidnapped, she was well taken care of. Jamie was the spitting image of her mother. From her pixie like face, to the petite structure of her body, it was like looking into a mirror. "Would you like some coffee or tea? I can fix that right up and we can sit down and… catch up."

"Coffee is fine, mom, thanks," Jamie spared her mother a tiny smile as she ushered her into the living room.

"I'll be back," Elaine called to her daughter, forgetting all about the open case file she had sitting on the couch.

The younger brunette came over to the couch and picked up the file, her eyes skimming it over. Why had Dana been so sure that Jamie herself was the key to getting her father thrown away in prison? From the looks of it, they had enough evidence and testimonies already. If it hadn't been for the redheaded public defender, Orwell wouldn't have been standing here today.

Orwell sat down on the couch, going through the file form by form. It worried her that maybe her mother was getting too carried away with this. The case file was extremely thick. How much sleep could her mother have been getting if she was working so thoroughly on this?

Elaine came back a few minutes later, bearing two steaming mugs of coffee. She stopped at the threshold to the living room when she saw what her daughter was doing. "Jamie, how much do you know about your father?"

The younger brunette looked up at her mother. "I know more than you think."

Her mother nodded and took a seat next to her. "I'll bet you know everything, you're a smart young lady," she spared Jamie a smile as she handed her mug of coffee over, "how did you find me?"

"I have been keeping close tabs, believe me," Orwell began, taking a sip of her coffee to keep from having to elaborate.

"Your father and I didn't know what to think, Jamie. And, partly, I think that all he did was purely out of grief. I know it started when he and I got our divorce, but you up and leaving surely didn't help," Elaine told her daughter, scowling into her coffee.

"Are you really blaming me for all of this, mother?" Jamie asked, giving her an incredulous look.

The mother's expression lightened as she glanced back over at her daughter. "Oh, baby, no. I didn't mean it like that. But, to the judge, that's exactly how it's going to be explained."

"I want to help. There's something that you need to know, though," the brunette paused to regain her composure. Her mother just waited for her patiently, reaching over to rub her knee reassuringly. "Mom, I've been in Palm City since dad started up with ARK. But… I've been hiding behind the _Orwell Is Watching _blogs."

Elaine took her hand from her daughter's knee and stared back at her, wide-eyed.

o—o—o

_I'm Going Home_

It was the day of the trial and everyone involved had a reason to be anxious. Most of them couldn't wait for the verdict to be made, and for Peter Fleming to end up behind bars. (Some of them were actually just hoping to see a fight between the Flemings, but that was just something else entirely.)

In reality, Elaine Fleming took this case against her husband to heart. She had always loved Peter, no matter what, but she just couldn't stand to be with him anymore. He got too power hungry, even _before_ Chess came into the equation. She wanted her husband to get the help that he needed. And, sadly, the deeper he got involved with ARK, the worse off he was.

She had their daughter to help fight back, as well as the others that have fallen victim at her husband's feet. The trial felt like it went on forever and when it finally did end, everyone was tired and on edge. Even the press that waited outside with cameras and microphones ready were getting anxious. Vince stood behind the crowd of people, dressed in his civilian clothes, sunglasses, and a baseball cap. When his name was cleared, he would finally show himself to the rest of the city, and to his wife. He wasn't looking for her forgiveness, but he was looking for honesty.

Once the judge finally made his decision, he glanced around the room, his mallet a short distance from his hand. He had heard about the organized crime down at the docks, he had heard about Voyt having to take the blame for everything that had gone down recently. But what had really got him was when Jamie Fleming stepped up to testify against her own father. Peter was stunned at the sudden appearance of his daughter, but he just took what she had to say with a grain of salt.

The judge sat up and declared the CEO of ARK Corporation guilty of all crimes as Chess. Which meant that the Faradays and the Voyts were both free once again. Marty may have been a traitor, but Vince knew that his former best friend, deep down, had been doing something that he thought was best.

Elaine felt a sense of pride, as she knew that she did what she had to do for several needing families, but a tiny bit of her felt guilty for throwing her husband away like used trash. He obviously needed help, and she was just going to hand it over for the authorities to deal with. At least, where he was going, he would also be getting the psychiatric help that he needed. That did numb the guilt a _bit. _

The room was abuzz with chatter; to most, it was a big deal to see Peter Fleming finally be unmasked as Chess, even for those who swore up and down that he didn't do it. As soon as the elder Fleming was escorted outside with cuffs pinning his hands to his back, the reporters began talking all at once, flashing their cameras, and recording everything and nothing at the same time. The fact that his wife and daughter were still following alongside of him was something that the reporters just ate up, quite frankly.

"I have no idea why you're following me, Elaine. Weren't you the one who wanted to start seeing other people?" Peter murmured back at his wife as she finally caught up with his stride. "Or is this just to rub it in my face, which is it, darling?"

The elder brunette felt her stomach dip uneasily. "I don't like what you've done, Peter. Just promise me that you'll work on getting better."

"Yes," Fleming muttered under his breath, "I'll be sure to do that as the orderlies are restraining me to the bed, feeding me those god-awful chocolate pudding cups."

Elaine sighed and looked back at their daughter. "We'll come to visit you. You _will_ get better. It won't help the Faraday family, or the Voyt family, but it surely will help ours, and all of those that work for you currently."

Orwell had been watching her parents with such curiosity, that she almost didn't notice her partner appearing from the back way to the courthouse. "Vince… _what_ are you doing?" she asked, knowing well enough that he wouldn't be able to hear her from up here.

The formerly framed vigilante was looking for two people in this crowd. One was his best friend, and the other was his wife. His and the former blogger's eyes met quickly. Vince gave her a goofy little wave, one that just made the youngest Fleming start smiling from ear to ear. He was so silly and… someday, hopefully, he would be hers. Vince gave her a promise, and Orwell knew that he wasn't one to break a promise, especially one not like this.

He saw his wife standing by the courthouse entrance, embracing Susan Voyt. Both of them seemed to be sobbing their hearts out. Their husbands were finally innocent. They didn't have to worry about sending their children to school out of the fear of them being bullied, nor did they have to worry about the constant death threats being dropped on their front stoops.

Vince took his baseball cap and sunglasses off, his unruly blonde hair and crystal blue eyes standing out like sore thumbs. His partner watched him carefully as his approached his wife with his hands held up in defense. Orwell couldn't help but wince as she yelped and slapped him for good measures.

"I know I've got a lot to answer for but, right now, you don't even know the half of it," the formerly framed cop sighed as she slapped him again, her limbs trembling from the sudden shock of seeing her husband alive and _well_. What had he been doing for over a year? Somehow, Dana didn't think she would like it much.

o—o—o

_Epilogue_

Vince and Dana went through months of marriage counseling after he confessed to sleeping with _and_ being in love with another woman. Luckily for the blonde vigilante, he had told his wife about everything early on. Orwell became an important part of their everyday lives soon after the public defender demanded to know who this other woman was. (Of course, Dana being Dana, she already had her suspicions. With her husband being the Cape, then that meant that Jamie Fleming must have been the one.) Unfortunately, for Vince, Dana and Orwell bonded even better than he thought possible. Those two were no better than giggling teenage girls were.

It took Trip a little while to get used to his father's new friend. He really hoped that his parents would be getting back together soon, but neither of them knew that that was going to happen. In reality, Dana couldn't trust her husband like she used to. He put their son and her through so much danger by not coming clean in the first place. Not to mention the fact that their relationship probably would have been saved had it not been for Vince being a bonehead and refusing to talk.

Within the next year, Dana had brought out the divorce papers. During their separation, the public defender had gotten back in contact with her favorite law school professor Jack Kirchner. He was the first to bring her flowers and ask her out on a date, so Dana hardly felt obliged to say no. Little did she know that that would lead to her wanting to divorce her husband—no questions asked.

Orwell hadn't expected her partner to come to her when he did. He told her about the divorce papers being filed, yes, but she really didn't think that he would come bearing a giant teddy bear holding its own mini-laptop. The brunette was sure that he had to special order that thing.

She didn't care, though. Having his lips on hers again after what felt like an eternity completely made up for it. As did the apology, telling her that she didn't have to go through with it if she didn't want him any longer. Orwell just smiled at her now boyfriend and threw her arms around his neck, answering him only with a sound kiss.

**I didn't think that this chapter would ever want to be finished! Oh well, ya'll know what to do. Reviews are loved. Jack Kirchner is from a good friend of mine, ya'll know her as wtchcool. IronAmerica and I use her character on occasion in our stories as a potential love interest for Dana. **


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